Prospectus 2026 - 2027

WELCOME TO FRAMWELLGATE SCHOOL DURHAM

Dear parents, carers and families,

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our school.

Our aim with this prospectus is to give you a sense of the excellent education we offer all our students, of the importance we place on working with families so that we can all share the same hopes and aspirations that your children will hold, and of our belief in the power of a community to give everyone a sense of belonging, fulfilment and happiness.

A prospectus can only do so much to convey a true sense of any school, and we would encourage you to visit us, talk to our staff, talk to our students and talk to other families in the area to have a true sense of what it really means to be a student here.

The school has an established reputation for the quality of our student care. Your child, and indeed every child, will have access to an extensive and caring pastoral team, including a form tutor who will serve as an important point of contact. This care allows us to be confident that our students are first and foremost safe and happy while with

us and that all our students will feel known and valued.

Students joining us in September 2026 will be the very last Year 7 students to experience the current building. In September 2027 we’ll move into a new building on our existing site with the state of the art facilities that match our ambition.

At this school our aim for all students is for them to discover what they’re truly passionate about, to feel part of our community and to know that they’ll be cared for, encouraged and motivated to be discover excellence now and in the future.

We can’t wait to meet you and share the exciting things that are happening here.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Wright Headteacher

“Pupils

are taught to be compassionate and respectful at Framwellgate School. is work is helping pupils to foster positive relationships with their teachers and their peers.”

OUR VALUES:

Like all good schools, we’re driven by our values above all else. We define these as:

• Excellence - Everyone in our community will know and experience success

• The most for those that need the most - We will meet the needs of all our learners

• Known and valued - Everyone here will be celebrated for who they are and what they do

• Collective endeavour - We will achieve success together

• Joy - Everyone will know and create joy

These five values determine all that we do and every part of the school flows from them. They set the direction and act as a compass to ensure we continue to grow and develop as a school in the way that we feel best supports all our students.

Underpinning this, we have our student entitlement, what we ensure that every child who joins us should get. Over the course of their time with us we guarantee that every student will have:

• A quality education that leads to achievement

• Experience of happiness and joy

• Support for passions and interests

• Feeling safe and supported

• Forming meaningful relationships with staff and students

• Feeling part of the school community, contributing to it and the opportunity to develop leadership skills within it

• Opportunities to take part in meaningful extra-curricular and enrichment experiences

• Expert advice for future choices

• Development of essential life skills

• Celebration of achievements to show they are known and valued

• Learning about cultural diversity, respect, and awareness

• Improvement of literacy and numeracy

• Regular progress reviews with teachers and support to reach goals

• Development of essential life skills.

By ensuring that all our students receive this entitlement as standard we feel confident that we’re helping to develop our students into happy, confident and well-rounded individuals ready to meet the world.

Pupils learn about a range of careers and training pathways. e school supports students well so that, by the end of key stage 5, they secure their places at university, in further education or employment.

Ofsted 2024

OUR CURRICULUM

Our curriculum is designed with our school values at it’s heart:

• To allow all of our students the opportunity to experience success

• To ensure that our students feel known and valued

• To ensure our students can experience joy

Our curriculum is ambitious and has a rigour to it, whilst recognising that all of our learners have different strengths, ambitions, skills and talents. The role of our curriculum is to nurture these, whilst ensuring that our students have an equal opportunity to be successful; in turn enabling their progression beyond school.

TEACHING AND LEARNING

On arrival in Year 7 students are placed in ability sets; this allows us to tailor the ambitious curriculum to ensure all of our students are being challenged and supported. The majority of lessons are taught in these classes, with the exception of practical subjects such as PE and Design Technology. All students study a common curriculum throughout Years 7-9 to ensure they are receiving a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum. Our school website has further details about the curriculum, where you can further explore what your child will be learning about in each of their subjects.

Teaching is designed to not only help students increase their subject specific knowledge but also to develop passions. Our subject specialist teachers support students in knowing more and remembering more through their understanding of what leads to effective learning. We know that students learn best when:

• There are positive relationships, built on respect, between students and teachers.

• There is a culture of high expectation and good behaviour with clear and consistent routines.

• Their efforts and achievements are recognised and celebrated through reward and praise.

• Teachers help students to memorise, apply and recall their learning regularly.

• They are challenged

• They can ask questions and think for themselves

• They are given meaningful feedback to correct misconceptions and improve

“ e school is ambitious for pupils to succeed. ere are high expectations for pupils’ achievement.”

“Pupils behave well. ey are polite and courteous. e school has developed its behaviour policy to focus on rewards. Pupils are motivated by this.”

“ e school promotes reading for pleasure. Pupils take part in a range of reading challenges, competitions and author visits”

Ofsted 2024

LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Central to our school’s values is the encouragement in extracurricular participation- where students have opportunities to experience not only joy but also success. Where they can feel known and valued; part of a team or a community and where this can be celebrated. Extracurricular activities are a means of cultivating your

child’s passions. Educational visits are also a key part of the school experience and our annual Enrichment week affords our students the opportunity to visit places and experience things which may be completely new to them. We encourage all students to participate in the many activities and clubs which run after school.

SPORT

Students at Framwellgate participate in sports as part of a healthy lifestyle and to help build resilience and teamwork.

CULTURAL OPPORTUNITIES)

Students benefit from the chance to learn about new cultures through trips and events throughout the year. They also take part in competitions and perform in music ensembles, choirs and productions.

We are proud of the wide range of opportunities offered in lessons and after school clubs in a wide range of sports, including both team and individual activities. These include the usual summer and winter games (football, hockey, cricket, rounders and athletics) as well as basketball, netball, swimming, handball, trampolining and more. We are also lucky that our sports hall has a fantastic climbing wall facility. Students regularly take part in fixtures and competitions with other schools, both locally and regionally.

CLUBS & ENRICHMENT

Our staff provide a plethora of lunch and after school activities to engage the passions of our students. These clubs include such diverse interests as chess, FIFA, uno, Dr Who, Christian Union, French film, robotics, debating, environment, surfing and future business magnates.

DUKE OF EDINGBURGH

Through initiatives like our Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, World Challenge and the student council, all students at Framwellgate School can gain important life skills while being actively responsible citizens.

We support both individual and ensemble tuition and make use of the state-of-the-art drama and music suites, encouraging all students to be part of our school productions and shows. Our art and languages departments boast rich history of trips to France, Germany, Florence, Barcelona and Naples.

Other extraordinary opportunities are provided to broaden pupils’ intellectual horizons through trips and speaker events. Trips have included visits to the European Parliament, Auschwitz in Poland, the battlefields of the Somme plus many local historical and cultural sites.

“ e school’s work to safeguard pupils is thorough and effective. ere is strong pastoral care. Pupils know who they can talk to if they have concerns.”

STUDENT WELLBEING & SAFEGUARDING

Safeguarding and child protection is everyone’s responsibility and our first priority. We have a Director of Safeguarding who takes responsibility for child protection and wider safeguarding issues of all of our students. We have a highly skilled Pastoral Team who are all Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL’s) and are fully committed to the best outcomes for students in our care.

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children means:

• Protecting children from maltreatment

• Preventing impairment of children’s health or development

• Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care

• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes

We are committed to supporting students with all aspects of their personal development and provide additional support where needed, this includes utilising anti-bullying ambassadors and peer mentors, tailored interventions, working with a variety of external agencies to support families where needed as part of our strong safeguarding culture.

e school is committed to supporting pupils with their personal development. For example, pupils develop their leadership skills through roles such as ‘anti-bullying ambassadors’ and they are taught ways to look a er their physical and mental health

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Our Pastoral Structure in school exemplifies our commitment to the principles of securing good emotional wellbeing to allow our students to have the best possible experience and outcomes throughout their school journey. We recognise the importance of mental health and supporting our students and have an Emotional Wellbeing Worker and a team of Mental Health Champions to support positive wellbeing for all.

THE PSHE CURRICULUM

We strongly believe that our PSHE curriculum, and its delivery, underpins and reinforces the wider culture of our school. As well as this curriculum being taught in weekly dedicated lessons, delivered to students by their tutor, it is also delivered in a variety of other ways: through assemblies; via external speakers and ‘drop-down’ sessions/workshops, and through school-wide events such as Remembrance, Holocaust Memorial Day and Diversity Week. Key aspects of the curriculum are also consolidated and revisited in different subject areas as part of the wider curriculum.

EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY

Framwellgate School Durham has a long-standing commitment to equality. All students, staff and parents and carers are entititled to be treated equitably irrespective of race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other characteristic. We will:

• Treat everyone fairly and with respect.

• Understand that everyone is unique and has different needs

• Robustly challenge all forms of bullying, harassment and prejudice-driven behaviour

• Respond to individual and community needs in a sympathetic and compassionate manner

• Provide appropriate support to individuals to ensure that their potential is fulfilled

In line with statutory PSHE guidance, our curriculum aims to provide each student with the following:

• A sound understanding of their role and responsibilities as a citizen – of the school, the wider community and the wider world – now and in the future

• A strong sense of social and moral justice, and empathy for others

• The opportunity to consider wider societal issues and their impact

• The knowledge and ability to keep themselves healthy: physically, mentally and emotionally, and to keep themselves safe from risks and harm.

• The ability to develop critical thinking to make safe and informed decisions

• The opportunity to develop personal and social skills which will help to prepare them for the wider world and employability

“ e personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is well designed from Year 7 to Year 13. Pupils have secure knowledge about how to stay safe online and healthy relationships. e school offers pupils a range of ways to develop their wider skills and talents.”

FRAM SIXTH FORM

We are very proud of our sixth form provision; we understand that entering post-16 education is a significant milestone and we offer a supportive, inclusive and vibrant environment in which our key stage 5 students are able to thrive.

We offer a wide range of academic and vocational courses. FSD offers a post-16 education that is focused on the individual; we pride ourselves on building enrichment and super-curricular opportunities around our students, whilst supporting them in their pursuit of academic excellence.

We are delighted that our Sixth Form provision was recognised officially as ‘good’ in our most recent Ofsted inspection:

Sixth form students benefit from small class sizes, high-quality, evidence-based teaching, and intensive academic and pastoral support. They also have their own study space and computer suite, and their own social areas.

“In the sixth form, students learn to be independent in their studies. ey engage and achieve well. ”

Ofsted 2024 “ e sixth form is a strength of the school. Sixth-form students are positive role models for younger pupils. ey make a positive contribution to the school.”

Sixth form at Fram undoubtedly prepares you academically for the future, but it does so much more. It also helps you to grow into a resilient, compassionate and respectful adult who possesses the skills and values necessary to succeed in life and to contribute to society. Fram is not just the sixth form you go to, it is the community you get to belong to; contribute to, and be heard in.

“At sixth form I have always been encouraged and supported to follow my dreams and been guided in the right direction. e quality of teaching, pastoral support and careers guidance has been outstanding. I will always be incredibly grateful for my experiences in Fram Sixth Form; they have genuinely helped to shape me into the young adult I am today.”

ADMISSIONS

What if I choose to come to Framwellgate School Durham?

Full details of our Admissions Policy can be found on our website under ‘Essential Information’.

FURTHER INFORMATION

As we said at the beginning, this prospectus provides some basic information about our school but can’t begin to convey the wonderful, calm, creative, caring and inspiring atmosphere which our staff and students experience (and create) each day. For up-to-date information on our school and the activities taking place you can:

Visit our website – www.framdurham.com

Follow us on Twitter @fram_official

Our Sixth Form can be found @FSDSixth

Visit us in person. You can also contact the school at any time to speak to us or to arrange a visit.